No More School, No More Books...

     Today was our last day of school!  We ended the year off great with a half-day filled with fun!  I cannot believe that my first year as teacher is over!  It still has not quite sunk in, but I am certainly enjoying the fact that it is 2:20 and I am peacefully sitting in my clean classroom with no students in it.  Everything has been taken off the walls and bulletin boards, desks have been washed, chairs have been stacked, chalkboard erasers have been cleaned, and children have been sent home! 
     The more I think about it, the more it seems like school just started, but in reality it has been 9 months!  I have definitely learned a lot this year!  One major thing I learned was that if I want to be an effective teacher, I have to send up many prayers to the Lord during the day!  There were many times when I did not know what to do in a certain situation, and had to send out a big cry of "HELP!" to the Lord.  I would hate to make a decision on the spur of the moment that would affect a student for later years.  The Lord was definitely good to me this year, and helped me get through those difficult times.  Having 8 students, ranging from 5 to 10 years old was definitely a challenge!  They each came from very different families and backgrounds, and I had to learn what made each of them "tick".  As the year progressed and I prayed for them, the Lord gave me a love for each one of them, and helped me to understand what their specific spiritual and emotional needs were.  I am so thankful for the Lord's leading!
     Last night was our "Closing Program", and my kids all performed beautifully!  There were many things during our practices that happened, which caused me to have some butterflies in my stomach when the time came for the program to start.  I had to wonder, "Will they all do what they are supposed to do?"  Thankfully they all remembered when they were supposed to do what, and what exactly it was they were supposed to say, etc.  I was so pleased with them!  Of course, after the program when I talked to them and told them how well they had done, they wanted to know if they were going to get a special treat for doing a good job.  I guess kids will be kids:)!!
     Even though there were many speed bumps and rough spots along the way, I can look back and say that we had a good year.  I am looking forward to next year, but first: a nice, long summer before me!  Although I am sure that our (hopefully soon) addition to the family will make it a very busy one!